|
Written by Harold Fink Locksmith CRL CPS
|
|
Friday, 19 February 2010 09:42 |
Modern Electric and Electronic Egress Options
Electric and electronic locks have been separately controlled by card readers, push buttons and other devices for years, but have been limited in their use until solenoid bolt locks, shear locks and surface mount electromagnetic locks became popular.
When much of the electric locking industry began to concentrate on the top of the door and frame, the electric or electronic egress mechanisms became distinctly separate from mechanical lock installations, resulting in two or three security components installed on the door instead of one.
In many cases, electric mortise locks, electric cylindrical locks and locksets with electric strikes are designed to be fail safe, or provide free egress when power is lost. Electrified panic hardware may also provide free egress or delayed egress. In rare cases, such as where asylum function locks are used, egress still must be provided by another means. Electromagnetic locks and solenoid bolts locks may also use a separate egress device, especially on designated exits.
In the past, many devices have been used or modified to allow proper egress on designated fire exits. Often, devices or modifications were never tested or listed, as these modifications may have been performed in the field. Some modifications have or can be used in limited situations, based on the authority having jurisdiction allowing them. A few are listed and comply with egress requirements of various codes, and even those are sometimes questioned, often by those that could stand to gain from new work to be performed at that door.
Acceptable egress is not always clearly defined with electronic egress devices, largely due to codes originally written around mechanical hardware. These codes have presented us with two major problems when specifying hardware for security and safety, and present the following conflicts. First, a safe haven from violence often represents a much greater need than safety from fire, especially when new building materials and sprinkler systems have been used. Current liability laws make strict interpretation of fire codes a necessity for many jurisdictions, and safety from violence is almost never addressd by those jurisdictions, simply because protection from violence is not addressed by codes. Secondly, mechanical hardware is subject to mechanical failure, as moving parts wear from use and exposure. Mechanical hardware is also subject to abuse, vandalism and failure of lubricants left by those who attempt to repair locking hardware mechanisms. Mechanical electrical switches are equally subject to failure. Typically cycle tested for 10,000 to 100,000 cycles, they can fail much faster than electronic switches (tested in the millions of cycles). They often become loose in their mountings, resulting in damage to their cases or contacts. The electronic switch bars available now can be more reliable and last longer, but due to the codes being worded for the old, mechanical standards, some jurisdictions still interpret mechanical movement as being necessary to qualify as panic hardware.
When specifying egress hardware for a designated fire exit, be cautious of using retrofit mechanical switches to break power to the lock. Factory or UL facility installed, they can meet almost any egress code, but a homemade or field-installed switch may not meet life safety requirements, as interpreted by the local authority having jurisdiction. Many switches are not listed or rated for breaking power to an electric lock and therefore are not listed for that purpose.
Devices allowing free egress with electromagnetic locks are available in several forms. Not all methods are accepted by every local authority, and this should be discussed with the authority having jurisdiction prior to installation.
1. A mechanical switch as a mechanical panic device, activated by movement of the crossbar or touchpad when an attempt is made to exit. In most cases, both the device and the purpose of the switch must be tested and listed by an acceptable testing laboratory such as UL.
2. An electronic switch bar, listed for free egress applications with an electromagnetic lock,
3. A combination of a push button and a motion detector. The button must be clearly labeled, located within five feet of the door and directly break power to the lock. The motion detectors become the primary method of egress, with the button acting as a redundant method of providing free egress. In order to use this combination, the locks must be wired to unlock upon activation of a fire or sprinkler system. The use of only a button is rarely acceptable, since it requires prior or special knowledge to properly exit using that door. The use of only a motion detector is also rarely acceptable, since both the electronics and timing are subject to failure.
Once again, what is acceptable to comply with codes may not always be acceptable to the quality conscious locksmith or a detail oriented customer. As security professionals, it becomes clear that minimum code requirements and special variances may fall short of our own acceptable standards. The following are two common examples:
1. In dark or smoked-filled rooms, only large, well lit buttons, clearly marked EXIT or PUSH TO EXIT can be seen and understood. Buttons without lights are allowed by code, but are worthless if they cannot be located in a panic situation.
2. In areas of high risk, such as late hour shifts or minimal staffing, motion detectors provide an unauthorized individual outside the door with a way to get through a normally locked door by either waiting for someone to pass by or by knocking and waiting for someone to enter the detection pattern of the motion detector in order to answer the door. This is acceptable by most fire codes, but foolish from a security stand point.
User demands on the industry are in constant change, and products are constantly introduced, modified or reinvented to meet those demands. These demands also represent the force behind testing and listing new products and creating new listing categories. Current codes barely consider protection from crime and violence, yet crime and violence represent a significant and increasing threat to those the codes protect.
Better coordination between those departments concerned with safety could lead to a wider choice of products for electric locking and egress, a higher level of safety for those affected, and more qualified training for those who enforce the safety codes.
|
|
Last Updated on Friday, 19 February 2010 10:22 |
|
Written by Harold Fink Locksmith CRL CPS
|
|
Wednesday, 17 February 2010 12:26 |
Back Door Break in Prevention
Back door break in prevention is often a difficult situation for store owners. Breaking in back doors, which constitute upwards of 80% of burglaries, has caused retailers, chain stores and restaurant owners to resort to many locking devices (barrier bars, slide bolts, padlocks, etc.) which are not connected to any panic hardware. Use of locking devices which disallow proper egress from a building without a key and without any prior knowledge of how to unlock the door from inside violates basic fire and life safety codes and puts building occupants at risk. There is serious liability on the owner of the establishment, but security is essential for the business to avoid thefts and stay in business.
Why Can't I Bar A Door When The Building Is Unoccupied?
Any impediment on the door that requires more than one action and special or prior knowledge in order to exit violates basic fire and life safety codes. In an emergency situation, this could have the disastrous consequence of injury or death, and can cause civil liability and public relations nightmares for the owners of the business. As a security professional, you would not want to be trying to explain why an emergency exit door could not be opened and someone died as a result.
When store owners try to increase back door security with locks that do not allow proper egress, they maybe cited for code violations by the fire marshals and building inspectors. "We only use these at night after the store is closed" is not acceptable. You would have to rely on an employee to remember to unlock each and every door every morning. The risk of human error is to great. Firefighters and customers have died because of blocked emergency exits.
Exit devices originally were developed to ensure quick, easy, proper egress from a place of public assembly. Fire and building codes over the years have expanded this definition. Lighting and signage requirements direct people to these doors. Safe exiting without any special knowledge is required at any fire exit and can be complied with the proper selection of door locking hardware.
Local alarms provide local notification
In order to prevent the public from exiting through these doors in non emergency situations, local alarms were added to the exit devices to provide notification of personnel. These alarms do not prevent exiting, they notify personnel when the door has been used. This is very common in retail locations to prevent snatch and grab theft of merchandise.
Back door break in prevention requires special locks
Devices employing a single locking mechanism are providing only one security point for professional burglars to defeat. In many cases, a burglar can remove the hinge pins to break in through the door with an alarmed exit device. Many panic exit devices and fire exit devices provide little resistance to the most basic methods of break in and forced entry. The need exists for devices with absolute security that is also life safety code compliant.
Deadbolts that are code compliant
Security Group Inc. of Maspeth, New York, a wellknown manufacturer of innovative high-security locks, has come up with the solution to the problem: the MP Panic Exit Police Lock (490 Series). The MP Panic Lock projects stainless steel deadbolts from the door one inch into four points in the frame, header and threshold. The door is secured like a bank vault lock, yet only one action is required to push the paddle and retract the bolts to open the door for exiting. This features allows the lock to meet fire and life safety codes, providing both safety and security in a UL-listed exit device.
Force burglars to avoid your door
Locking all four sides of the door defeats both common and professional break in methods. If only one side of the door is secured, the burglar knows that all he has to do is pry past that one edge and he can open the door. With all four sides deadbolted, the would be burglar would have to spread the entire door frame or rip the frame out of the wall to break in. This is too noisy and time consuming, and generally the burglar will be forced to stop his attack on the door and avoid your door completely.
The Securitech MP Panic Exit Police Lock is surface mounted and therefore makes for a simple retrofit installation. It comes in alarmed and non-alarmed models. The lock can be mounted on a single or pair of doors (with or without a mullion and with or without outside key entry function) and will fit any height and width of opening. Both the alarm and outside key function accept any standard cylinder, therefore, it is possible to integrate this lock into any existing keyway used at that location.
Delayed egress prevents thefts
An optional delayed egress feature can be incorporated into the device, making it ideal for preventing snatch and grab incidents, while at the same time preventing break ins . Integration with the fire alarm system may be required to allow instant exiting during an alarm situation.
Industry acceptance of the Securitech MP Panic Exit Police Lock
Introduced within the last two years at many retail loss prevention shows, major nationwide chains are now using and specifying multi-point exit devices for renovations and new store construction. Providing exit door security does not need to jeopardize a locksmith's career or put lives at risk. The MP Panic Police Lock provides cost effective safety, security and reliability all in one panic exit device.
|
|
Last Updated on Friday, 19 February 2010 09:25 |
|
|
Written by Harold Fink, Locksmith, CRL CPS
|
|
Friday, 05 February 2010 20:08 |
Safe Deposit Locks - Key Changeable
Key Changeable Safe Deposit Locks
Safe deposit locks have been manufactured for many years but very few safe deposit locks have been more confusing than the Sargent and Greenleaf, Precision Products, and ILCO Unican key changeable safe deposit locks. The 4540 was the first key changeable safe deposit lock with a movable fence manufactured by Sargent & Greenleaf. Precision Products started to make their own version of the double key changeable safe deposit lock called the 5400 series. Precision products began to manufacture their 5400 series under the Sargent & Greenleaf name, also known as the Sargent & Greenleaf 4500 series. Sargent & Greenleaf began producing the 4543 key changeable safe deposit lock while Precision Products kept producing the 5400 series key changeable safe deposit lock. Sargent & Greenleaf also began producing the 4545 key changeable safe deposit lock. From the outside, it may be difficult to tell the difference between them as they look very much alike. From the inside, however, they are definitely not alike. The plugs, cams and covers may be different. Additionally, the guard plugs may be very thin, and the key blanks may be different. For all of these reasons, you need to know what lock you have in order to replace parts of locks when you are called upon to service them.
Below you will find some helpful descriptive terms for identifying these locks: 1) The Sargent & Greenleaf model 4545, double key changeable safe deposit lock from S&G. 2) The S&G model 4540 key changeable safe deposit lock. 3) The S&G model 4500 (Precision Products manufactured model 5400). 4) The Precision products model 5400. 5) The ILCO model 54000 safe deposit lock manufactured by ILCO Unican. This should help you with safe deposit lock identification in the field.
SARGENT & GREENLEAF 4545
( S&G's current double changeable lock)
- Incorporates two piece renters, plug and cam.
- Has manufacturing date stamped in left hand corner of the lock case.
- Uses 5/32" cap screw for changing both renters and guard keys.
- Uses thick guard key.
- S&G 4500 series stamped on back of lock case.
- All levers are pocketed so the plugs go through the center of them.
- Guard plug has no tail piece.
SARGENT & GREENLEAF 4500
(Manufactured by Precision Product with S&G logo)
- Incorporates single piece renters plug.
- Uses thin guard key.
- Uses 5/32" cap screw for changing both renters and guard keys.
- Sargent & Greenleaf 4500 is stamped on the back of the lock case.
- Levers are not pocketed, both plugs go into lock case beneath levers.
- Guard plug has no tail piece.
SARGENT & GREENLEAF 4540
(First double key changeable made by Sargent & Greenleaf)
- Incorporates two piece renters, plug and cam.
- 4540 series is stamped on the cover, closest the bolt.
- Uses 3/32" cap screw for changing both the renters and guard keys.
- Uses thick guard keys.
- All levers are pocketed so both plugs go through the center of them.
- Guard plug has no tail piece.
PRECISION PRODUCTS 5400
- Incorporates single piece renters plug.
- Precision model 5400 is stamped on the back of the lock case.
- Uses 5/32" cap screw for changing both renters and guard keys.
- Levers are not pocketed, both plugs go into the lock case beneath levers.
- Uses thin guard key.
- Guard plug has no tail piece.
ILCO UNICAN 54000
- Incorporates single piece renters plug and cam.
- Precision Ilco Unican Corp. series is stamped on the back of the lock case.
- Uses 5/32" cap screw for changing both renters and guard keys.
- Levers are not pocketed, both plugs go into the case beneath the levers.
- Uses thick guard key.
- Guard key has no tail piece.
The changing function s for all these locks is the same. To change the renter's keys, the function is as follows:
Step 1. Insert guard key and rotate clockwise until it stop.
Step 2. Insert renters key and rotate clockwise until it stop.
Step 3. Loosen renter fence clamp screw (on the back of lock) with change wrench 3 1/2 turns counterclockwise.
Step 4. Turn renters key clockwise and take out of lock.
Step 5. Insert new renters key, rotate counterclockwise until stop.
Step 6. Tighten renters fence clamp screw clockwise.
Step 7. Rotate renters key to locked position, remove key.
Step 8. Rotate guard key to locked position, remove key.
Lock is now set to new renter's key.
The changing function for changing the guard key is as follows:
Step 1. Insert guard key and rotate clockwise until stop.
Step 2. Insert renters key and rotate until stop.
Step 3. Loosen guard fence clamp screw (on back of lock) with change wrench 31/2 turns counterclockwise.
Step 4. Rotate guard key counterclockwise to lock position and remove key.
Step 5. Insert new guard key rotate clockwise until stop.
Step 6. Tighten guard fence clamp screw clockwise.
Step 7. Rotate renters key to locked position and remove key.
Step 8. Rotate guard key to locked position and remove key.
Lock is now set to new guard key.
|
|
Last Updated on Friday, 05 February 2010 20:17 |
|
Written by Harold Fink, Locksmith, CRL CPS
|
|
Tuesday, 26 January 2010 22:32 |
Replacing Concealed Vertical Rod Exit Devices on Narrow Stile Glass Doors
by Harold Fink, Locksmith, CRL CPS
I once was shown a narrow stile glass door with a concealed vertical rod exit device that had been a maintenance and security problem for the company ever since they took occupancy. Employees were using the door to exit the building, sometimes with company property, often to smoke, or to take an anauthorized break, or to use it as a short cut to the parking lot. In addition, to make it easier to enter through the door from outside, employees would stuff paper, chewing gum and other debris to disable the rod receptacles, both top and bottom, thereby preventing the door from latching or locking.
Since the maintenance director, the company manager, and the local fire marshall had already talked about how the state frowned on exit doors being blocked, padlocked, screwed shut or boarded up, I was called in to offer a solution that would be compliant and prevent employees from disabling the locking hardware on the door or frame.
My solution was to suggest an Arrow 400 series alarmed exit device with an Arrow S75 narrow stile mounting plate. That was the easy part. What made the job difficult was the removal of the existing concealed rod exit hardware. The removal of the old device was complicated by the necessity of having to take the door down to remove the bottom section of the concealed rod assembly.
This door had an overhead door closer which could have been removed. It was not necessary to remove the entire closer. I elected to just take off the arm. Next, the hinge screws needed to be removed to drop the door. These doors will normally use either standard hinges or top and bottom pivot hinges.
Before removing the hinge screws, I will often use wedges, blocks of wood, or both under the door to act as blocking material and prevent it from falling when the hinge screws are removed. Loosen the hinge screws a little until the door settles onto your blocking material, then slowly remove them all after making sure your wedges are secure and supporting the entire weight of the door.
Once the screws are removed, the door can be taken down by removing the wedges and allowing the door to tilt outward slightly. This action will pull the top hinge out of the frame and allow you to lift the door off the bottom pin and set it aside to do whatever service work you need to perform. In this case, the removal of the bottom portion of the vertical rod assembly.
Although I regularly take down narrow stile doors by myself, I strongly recommend that you use a helper or able apprentice that wants to learn how to become a locksmith. If you don't have a helper, then don't try this procedure by yourself on a windy day or on a busy doorway. You can imagine the potential consequences. As anyone that works on busy, high frequency doorways knows, it is very helpful to have your helper as an extra pair of eyes for those who insist on passing through the doorway while you work on the door, despite your well placed "please use other door" signs. They always are good at excusing themselves but seem never to understand the danger that they place themselves and yourself in when they pass through the doorway while you are balancing a door.
Now that the door has been taken down and the bottom portion of the vertical rod assembly removed, you can rehang the door and adjust the hinges if necessary.
Let's see how the Arrow 400 series alarmed exit device mounts on a narrow stile glass door.
The first thing that is required is to install the Arrow S75 narrow stile mounting plate. I painted the mounting plate to allow the finish of the plated screws to match the Duronodic finish of the door.
As a rule, I install a third screw near the center of the installed strike on all my panic hardware or fire exit device installations, after adjusting the strike, to prevent the strike from being moved or knocked out of alignment. I have found this to be helpful in preventing unnecessary call backs due to latching or locking problems. I have noticed that more panic hardware and fire exit device manufacturers have engineered such a provision into their products. Install the third screw after you properly adjust the strike.
The mounting plate offers a solid foundation for the Arrow 430 alarmed panic device to mount on a narrow stile door. You can use the same plate to mount Arrow's 300 series exit alarms to narrow stile doors.
The only thing left to do is to install the mortise cylinder in the alarm cover, attach it to the chassis, and put the end cap over the end of the device.
Doing this installation myself took me about four and one half hours. That time included taking down and rehanging the door and about one hour driving time to get to the job site. The great thing about this kind of work is that it is there waiting for those of us willing to take advantage of the opportunity when it presents itself. The opportunities for installing panic hardware, fire exit door hardware, door closers and other commercial door hardware are to be found in virtually every business you work in. Additionally, the many methods used by a few employees of a business to disable hardware are liability risks to your commercial client. You have to let your customers know when you recognize threats to safety of building occupants or potential pilferage problems that can fully justify the expense of your good installation with increased safety and reduced theft of inventory. It's up to you to recognize the need and be ready to offer a solution to fit your customer's requirements. You become a life saver and cost effective solution provider to your customer in the end.
Don't be intimidated by concealed vertical rod exit devices. You can replace them. The next time you pass through one of these doors, if you have not attempted this procedure yet, take a moment to think about how you would approach the job of replacing a concealed vertical rod exit device.
|
|
Last Updated on Tuesday, 26 January 2010 23:45 |
|
Commercial Locksmiths
